The Organization of Chipped-Stone Economies at Piedras Negras ...

termination was used as a platform for a blade removed midway down the face of the
core (Figure 6.15). Fourth, there is some evidence of lateral rejuvenation where flakes are
removed perpendicular to the face of the core. The most advanced form of this technique
creates a crested ridge (Clark and Bryant 1997; Figure 6.16 here) that is finally removed
by direct percussion at the proximal end of the core. The result is a crested blade, an
artifact not common at Piedras Negras. The example illustrated in Figure 6.16 is the only
crested blade that exhibits lateral working along the entire length of the blade. The extant
lateral rejuvenation flakes found at the site curiously were detached at, or near the
platform (Figure 6.17), and the exact function of their removal is not known. Most of
these rejuvenation techniques have been discussed at length by Clark and Bryant (1997)
and do not need to be reviewed in detail here.
The last two procedures are concerned more with core maintenance, but still
occur after the core has been transformed into a prismatic-blade core. The fifth procedure
is carried out by percussion, but away from the working face of the core. These
percussion blades modify the back of the core, or more accurately, the sides of the back
of the core (Figure 6.9). The function of these blades is unclear, but they may allow for
continued reduction of the core on previously inaccessible areas.
At Piedras Negras, distal rejuvenation flakes (Figure 6.18) appear to have had the
effect of regularizing the face of the core and preventing outre passé terminations, or
overshots (Figure 6.19). In fact, there are no clear examples of distal rejuvenation flakes
(primary distal rejuvenation flake) or blades (secondary distal rejuvenation flake) (see
Clark and Bryant 1997) being used to remove a hinge or step termination. The focus of
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